The Robot That Charmed the Internet Is Back, Sort Of, as an AI Memory Camera
A startup called Lingverse has raised $29 million to build a wearable device it calls the iKairos, invoking the spirit of the beloved Jibo robot. What it actually does is fuzzier than the AI images it generates.
Key points
- Lingverse, formerly known as Ling AI, raised $29 million to build an AI wearable called the iKairos.
- The iKairos is priced between $199 and $249, with a subscription expected on top, and presales are planned for later in 2025.
- The device can be worn as a pendant, clipped to clothing, or placed on a table mount, and it generates AI-made images from moments it captures.
- Lingverse does not own the Jibo brand or its full intellectual property, though it says it holds some of Jibo's core patents.
- Privacy protections include on-device processing, a physical camera shutter, and no use of captured data to train AI models.
Jibo was a small, stationary, wiggling robot launched in 2014, a few years before Amazon's Echo smart speakers made voice assistants a household fixture. It could not move around or pick things up, but it had a charming personality and a cult following. It was also too expensive and too limited to survive, and the company shut down.
Now a startup called Lingverse wants to revive that spirit, in a very different package.
What exactly is the iKairos?
The iKairos is a small camera-equipped AI device that you clip to your shirt, wear as a pendant, or set on a table mount. It watches and listens to your day, then turns selected moments into AI-generated images, pictures created entirely by software based on what it saw and heard. Lingverse describes it as an "AI journal" that "seals" memorable moments into a kind of digital memory capsule.
CEO Jiawei Gu, who was a board member at Jibo before it folded, told Wired AI that "it's the right time to combine all the stuff." He says the iKairos carries forward Jibo's original vision, though exactly what that means in practice remains vague. The company has not detailed what the device can and cannot do.
The name comes from the ancient Greek word "kairos," meaning "the right moment." Lingverse insists the similarity to Icarus, the mythological figure who flew too close to the sun and fell, is accidental.
Should buyers be concerned about privacy?
The device does not record continuous video. Instead, it takes snapshots, then deletes them. Audio recording only kicks in when the device detects a human voice. A physical shutter lets users block the camera entirely, and Lingverse says data is processed on the device itself or encrypted when sent elsewhere, and will not feed back into AI training.
Those are reasonable commitments on paper. Whether they hold up in practice is something buyers will only know once independent researchers can examine a finished product.
What does it actually cost, and who else is in this market?
| Device | Price | Key feature |
|---|---|---|
| iKairos | $199 to $249 + subscription | AI memory journal, wearable or mounted |
| Bee AI wearable | varies | Wearable AI note-taker |
| Looki L1 | varies | Body-worn AI camera |
| Google Photos AI | free with Google account | AI edits for existing family photos |
The iKairos enters a market that is already crowded and about to get more so. Apple, Amazon, Google, and OpenAI are all building or refining home AI assistants. Google launched new AI smart speakers last month. OpenAI is working with designer Jony Ive on a home assistant device.
For ordinary people curious about the iKairos: wait before spending anything. Presales have not opened yet, the full feature list is unconfirmed, and the AI-generated images shown on Lingverse's own website have drawn criticism for looking artificial and low quality, what some critics call "AI slop." Lingverse says images pass a quality check before landing in a user's journal, but that process has not been independently tested.
One thing is clear: Jibo's ghost draws attention. Whether the iKairos earns its own reputation is a question Lingverse has not yet answered.
Common questions
Does Lingverse own the Jibo brand?
No. Lingverse does not own the Jibo intellectual property or brand, though it says it holds some of Jibo's core patents and has the blessing of Jibo's founding team. It also lists Jibo as a product on its website, which is misleading.
Will the iKairos share my data or use it to train AI?
Lingverse says no data from the device will be used to train AI models, and that audio and images are processed on the device or encrypted in transit. A physical camera shutter adds an extra layer of control, but independent verification has not yet happened.
When can I buy one?
Lingverse plans to open presales at some point later in 2025. No firm date has been announced.
